While many scientists have wondered about a possible link between coffee and a lower the risk of prostate cancer, most studies to date have been relatively small and shown mixed results. But a new study followed almost 50,000 male health professionals for more than two decades.

According to the research, for the men who drank the most coffee, the risk of getting the most deadly form of prostate cancer was about 60 percent lower.

NPR reports:
“The new study shows that getting a 60 percent reduction in risk of aggressive prostate cancer requires a lot of coffee — at least six cups a day. However, men who drank three cups a day had a 30 percent lower chance of getting a lethal prostate cancer, and that’s not bad.”

Scientists have discovered that lycopene, which gives tomatoes their bright red colour, can turn sperm into super-sperm:………click & see

Researchers at the University of Portsmouth studied the effect of lycopene in the diet on a random group of six healthy men, with an average age of 42. The men were asked to consume a 400g tin of Heinz cream of tomato soup every day for two weeks.

The researchers, from the university’s biomedical science department, said that during the two weeks, levels of lycopene in the men’s semen rose between seven and 12 per cent, which was ‘significant’.

They added that further studies should be carried out to discover whether the same boost would be seen in infertile men. The results, published in the British Journal of Urology, said that infertile men have lower levels of lycopene in their sperm. The study suggests that higher levels of lycopene are associated with increased fertility.
It is not known what part lycopene actually plays in fertility, although it has been suggested that the antioxidant may mop up harmful free radicals in the body which can affect fertility.

Tomato products have been thought for some time to have beneficial health properties because of their high concentration of lycopene, but this is the first time they have been shown to boost fertility.

Other fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene include watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, papaya and rosehip. Lycopene has previously been identified as a potential aid in conditions ranging from exercise-induced asthma to prostate cancer. However, earlier this month, the US Food and Drug Administration said it has found almost no evidence that lycopene has any effect on cancer prevention. A review, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, examined 81 studies of lycopene and concluded that none produced any credible evidence to support a relationship between consumption of the antioxidant and the risk of developing cancer.

About 2.6 million men in the United Kingdom have a low sperm count and doctors have suggested a healthier lifestyle can increase the chances of conceiving. Nigel Dickie, a spokesman for Heinz said: “It’s good to know that our tomato soup could give guys extra oomph.”

There is no question that dogs can provide companionship, protection, and other services. But could there be another use for our canine friends? Some anecdotal evidence and a sprinkling of scientific studies suggest that dogs can detect seizures and cancers (like skin melanoma and prostate cancer). Though the research is still in its infancy, preliminary results have already provided insight on developing new medical technologies…………..CLICK & SEE

Detecting Seizures
Though many anecdotal stories suggest dogs can alert their owners before a seizure, there has been little research on how dogs might detect seizures before they happen. Some theorize that the dogs may smell a chemical or other scent that is released just prior to a seizure. Others believe the dog‘s attachment to his or her owner helps in detecting subtle scent and behavioral changes before a seizure. Only a very small percentage of these service dogs are currently able to reliably warn their owners before a seizure. Some researchers have studied whether these skills could be taught………….click & see

Researchers in the UK reported in the January 1999 and January 2001 issues of Seizure on dogs they had trained that could detect seizures 15 to 45 minutes prior to the episodes beginning. In addition, the researchers found that the people using these dogs actually reported fewer seizures. Though these results are promising, in most cases it still seems that this skill is inherent in a dog’s personality, rather than something that can be taught. Future research may reveal what these dogs are detecting and how this information can be applied in the hospital setting.

There is no doubt that trained seizure alert dogs can alert help, help prevent injury and watch over someone when they are having a seizure. However, the Epilepsy Foundation cautions people against rushing into spending thousands of dollars for a dog said to have skills of prior seizure detection, at least until the research supports a specific training regimen.

Detecting Cancer
There has also been anecdotal evidence of dogs being able to sniff out cancer and warn their owners. A brief report in a 1989 issue of the Lancet describes how one dog discovered a cancerous skin tumor on her owner’s leg. Researchers have been able to teach bomb-sniffing dogs how to detect cancer using similar training techniques. Other research supports the theory that dogs have the ability to smell cancer. But the real promise may be in learning how dogs can do this and possibly developing medical technology to do the same..…click & see

The Future of Dogs as Doctors….click & see
Dogs may never be used in the physician’s office. However, studying how animals can detect disease conditions in humans could lead to future advancements in medicine and medical technology. For instance, by learning about the ways dogs smell  a seizure or cancer cells, we can develop technologies to detect those same molecules. Medical sniffing machines have already been developed and are providing insight into the smells of disease for disease detection.RESOURCES:

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There is no question that dogs can provide companionship, protection, and other services. But could there be another use for our canine friends? Some anecdotal evidence and a sprinkling of scientific studies suggest that dogs can detect seizures and cancers (like skin melanoma and prostate cancer). Though the research is still in its infancy, preliminary results have already provided insight on developing new medical technologies.CLICK & SEE THE PICTURESDetectingSeizures
Though many anecdotal stories suggest dogs can alert their owners before a seizure, there has been little research on how dogs might detect seizures before they happen. Some theorize that the dogs may smell a chemical or other scent that is released just prior to a seizure. Others believe the dog’s attachment to his or her owner helps in detecting subtle scent and behavioral changes before a seizure. Only a very small percentage of these service dogs are currently able to reliably warn their owners before a seizure. Some researchers have studied whether these skills could be taught.

Researchers in the UK reported in the January 1999 and January 2001 issues of Seizure on dogs they had trained that could detect seizures 1545 minutes prior to the episodeâ€™s beginning. In addition, the researchers found that the people using these dogs actually reported fewer seizures. Though these results are promising, in most cases it still seems that this skill is inherent in a dog’s personality, rather than something that can be taught. Future research may reveal what these dogs are detecting and how this information can be applied in the hospital setting.

There is no doubt that trained seizure alert dogs can alert help, help prevent injury and watch over someone when they are having a seizure. However, the Epilepsy Foundation cautions people against rushing into spending thousands of dollars for a dog said to have skills of prior seizure detection, at least until the research supports a specific training regimen.

Detecting Cancer
There has also been anecdotal evidence of dogs being able to sniff out cancer and warn their owners. A brief report in a 1989 issue of the Lancet describes how one dog discovered a cancerous skin tumor on her owner’s leg. Researchers have been able to teach bomb-sniffing dogs how to detect cancer using similar training techniques. Other research supports the theory that dogs have the ability to smell cancer. But the real promise may be in learning how dogs can do this and possibly developing medical technology to do the same.

The Future of Dogs as Doctors
Dogs may never be used in the physicians office. However, studying how animals can detect disease conditions in humans could lead to future advancements in medicine and medical technology. For instance, by learning about the ways dogs â€œsmellâ€ a seizure or cancer cells, we can develop technologies to detect those same molecules. Medical â€œsniffing machinesâ€ have already been developed and are providing insight into the smells of disease for disease detection.

Men who have only daughters may be at greater risk for prostate cancer than those who have at least one son, a new study reports, and the reason may be an alteration in the Y chromosome, the male sex chromosome.

Prostate Cancer in Fathers With Fewer Male Offspring: the Jerusalem Perinatal Study Cohort (Journal of the National Cancer Insitute)Researchers recorded the sex of the offspring of 38,934 Israeli men who had children from 1964 to 1976, and then followed the fathers through 2005, during which time 712 developed prostate cancer. After adjusting for other variables, they found that those with no sons were almost one and a half times as likely to have developed the disease as those with at least one son. The more daughters they had without having any sons, the more their risk increased.

Because the inability to produce male children is associated with alterations in the Y chromosome, this suggests that the chromosome may be involved in prostate cancer risk.
Still, said Dr. Susan Harlap, the lead author and a professor of clinical epidemiology at Columbia, The main reason a man has male or female children, even in runs of one sex, is chance. She said she did not recommend extra prostate screening for men with only daughters.

The researchers acknowledge that their study, published Jan. 3 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, gathered no information about family history of prostate cancer. In addition, they studied a specific group of men, and it may not be possible to generalize the results to other populations.

Prostate cancer is a huge mystery,  Dr. Harlap said, not like lung or colon cancer, where we have a pretty good idea about causes. Our study gives a hint to look at the Y chromosome, and maybe the X chromosome, too, while you are at it.